Social Short Story – The Chair
Photo credit: rachjose from morguefile.com
It has been ages since someone cared to pay attention at him. But this day, it seemed to be a bit different. Those at the Pratapgarh prison knew that someone today was leaving.
Bama, 27 was brought here when he was 19 years of age. Life was never so easy for him. His mother left the world when he was barely 3, his father who was an alcoholic used to beat him until at the age of 7 when he ran away from his home. He roamed in the streets for days only to find food to eat. Those who were merciful use to give him something to eat, rest use to abuse and taunt at him. The city’s railway station bench no.23 was his bed. He went to many shops in search of work and those who use to see him looking at his age use to send him off thinking he is too small. He was so easily pissed off that he literally gave up and was on verge of becoming a thief until Ratan Raj Singh a local street side dhaba owner saw him.
And it so happened, Bama was one day roaming until he saw at the street a man was sitting and beside him 50 rupees and some papers where there. Bama thought it’s not a bad idea if he goes to that man ask him to look at sky and run away with his money. It was a very good idea for someone of his age but the man was too old to be an easy prey of his prank. Bama went there and asked the man to look up what’s in the sky and when he did he with all his strength ran away but the man caught him and was on verge of slapping him but he stopped asking him the reason why he did that? And Bama told him the whole story and he decided to take Bama with him.
12 years passed since then and Bama was now the manager of Jai Mata Di Dhaba. Everyone at the Dhaba used to call him “Chotey Malik” (or the small boss).He at the collection desk is now deputy to Ratan Raj Singh who proudly sits in his big chair wrapped and orders and instructs his workers. Bama recalls and tells everyone how Ratan Raj Singh, the owner of the dhaba whom he tried to cheat not only saved him from turning into criminal but also adopted him and changed his life. Bama had a great amount of respect for Ratan Raj Singh whose life changed too after he met Bama.
Ratan Raj Singh was a widower who lost his wife on the 4th year of his marriage and had no reason in the whole world to live except his old mother and father. But destiny seemed to make a turnaround 12 years ago when Ratan Raj brought Bama to his home. He tried to give Bama the best education he could give to him but gave up seeing Bama’s lack of interest in studies and ever since then from age of 14 Bama was working in his dhaba.
Everyone at the dhaba use to love him for his cheerful nature, it was not only the staff but also those who where the frequent visitors who knew Bama used to love him. The dhaba had a huge numbers of costumers from railway employees to passengers etc who use to find it the best place near railway station and those who didn’t liked them use to wonder at the fact that even when the streets are empty how could they manage to have so much huge numbers of crowds? But those who knew them knew it was because of the quality of food, fast serving and more than that friendly attitude of the staff was the reason for it. But as the life, is small events integrate together to make it a big thing called life. Perhaps had it a single event wouldn’t have happened everyone would have been happy in their respective life and no one would have ever in dreams thought about it.
It was rather like any normal day of June in central India. The streets where nearly empty and those who wear at streets covered their face with clothes as it was so hot and shiny that the one could barely stand in sun barely for more than a minute. As the clock turned 3, at the Jai Mata Di it was rather like any normal day sales were down due to summer season but still the highest in the area. It was the end of the peak time for the staffs and those at the kitchen finished their mid-day shift and some of those managed to find empty benches at the Dhaba to close their eyes for some time to relax after yet another busy day at work. It was usually the time for Ratan Raj and Bama to leave, leaving the administration into the hands of Bhola the assistant to Ram Raj Singh as there is very little sales during this time of the day until 6p.m. at evening. Ratan Raj told Bama to finish his collection counting work so that they could leave soon. As Bama finished counting they both left and barely they walked 20 feets from their dhaba suddenly there was a loud sound. Everyone at the dhaba and nearby left to see what has actually happened and they saw Ratan Raj Singh lying on the ground stained with blood while Bama is holding him and crying.
Month passed by and none had a clue as to who killed him. Those who knew him use to tell about his philanthropic deeds and that they find it really hard to believe that he is no more. But the saddest in the world where Ratan Raj Singh old parents and Bama. It was hardly the after 12th day when Bama re-opened the dhaba and within 10 days it was really like a normal day affair but something was different and it was that no-one was now there to sit at that big chair until a day when Ratan Raj Singh big brother Shivendra Singh came and asked to hand over the management in his hands. Ratan Raj Singh parents had two sons, Ratan and Shivendra. Shivendra the elder was a spoilt brat he was once found guilty of attempt to kill someone and when he came back serving his imprisonment term he was not at all changed as a result he was separated from his family. But, even after that he didn’t changed and was regularly involved in theft etc. as a result of which the people in his society boycotted him and he had to leave his place. But Bama knew nothing about it until Ratan’s mother whom he called dadi told him but he was instrumental in giving shivendra his right which he eventually did!
So, the transfer of possession took place and shivendra got the right of the hotel and that big chair. Bama was now no more manager of the Dhaba as Shivendra hated him, Bholu for their loyality towards Ratan and the rest at the hotel pretended that they have accepted him as their master but all missed Ratan from within. Both Bholu and Bama were sometimes mercilessly beaten by Shivendra but they never left that place as they believed that the soul of Ratan Raj still existed over there. Bama used to continuously look at that big chair remembering the old days spent with Ratan. It all went this way until a day when police came to arrest Shivendra they told them that the people who murdered Ratan where Shivendra’s men whom he gave money to kill him. The police left the spot instantly taking shivendra with him while those at the hotel were shell shocked as to how can a brother kill his own brother? Bama was very much shocked too and when he told his dadi this entire she was really sad and wanted her son to be hanged. Bama too made up in his mind to ask Shivendra why he did all that.
The next day the trial began in the court and all three of them i.e. Shivendra and the two murderers accepted in front of the judge that they have done the act. While police was taking Shivendra out of the court Bama asked why you did that. To that Shivendra replied”I returned after 20 years only to find how successful he was and just I couldn’t resist but to kill him”. Hearing this Bama couldn’t resist he took out a big dagger out of his shirt and stabbed him. Before, Shivendra could have reached the hospital he was dead and the trail of Shivendra’s murder begin and Bama was given 9 years of maximum imprisonment looking at the reason why he killed Shivendra.
8 years has passed since then and looking at his good behavior the govt. decided to reduce his sentence up to 8 years and today is the day Bama is leaving. It was after 8 long years Bama was going to see something apart from long and tall walls of the jail. Those at the jail who knew him were sad that he was going but were happy at the same time to see him go out. Bama’s only wish to go out was that he wanted to Jai Mata Di Dhaba though he suspected that it was still there or not or someone else must have bought it but he knew nothing about it as Ratan’s parents committed suicide the day he was sent to jail and neither Bhola or any other staff came to meet him.
It was a sad day in jail for those who knew Bama. Bama was not only an enthusiast but he was always ready to help Jail Authorities in clashes between groups, in functions etc. It is a sad day and the Superintendent asked Bhama to pay regular visit over the jail to which he said he would. Bama left the jail with three sets of clothes and 8500 rupees that he earned as salary in Jail’s Kitchen. Bama wanted to go to Jai Mata Di Dhaba straightaway as it was just 15 minutes walk from the jail.
But in the way he decided to rest for a cup of tea and thoughts ran all over his mind like. What will I see there? Who would be there? But eventually he gathered enough strength to go there and as he walked through almost inside the Dhaba he crossed the point where his master was shot 20 steps away from dhaba and although there were many new shops now and the whole setting almost changed he could still make out that the spot where Ratan Raj was killed and he laid at that spot and suddenly a mob gathered to see what he is doing sitting in middle of the road but he didn’t care who are seeing him and what they thinking about him just he laid on ground and wept until a voice came in between the crowd “Chotey Malik”(small boss).
He within a spur of a second realized its Bholu and he turned back got up and hugged him. Bholu took him to the dhaba and told him that after he went to jail he took over the charge in his hand and ensured that it remains like it was in time of his masters. Too much of his amazement, Bama found that everything was like it was before that tragic incident happened. Bholu asked him to leave so that he could take over the charge from the next day but Bama refused to do this because he wanted to take charge from that day itself so he went towards collection desk and he was overwhelmed to see that the Big Chair was still in its place.
From that day, Bama repossessed his old seat near that Big Chair.
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